Marble game



Nov. 2, 1937. F. H. KING MARBLE GAME Filed Jan. 12, 1935 R O T N E V mFREDERICK H.KING

ATTOR Y Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT as 8 Claims.

This invention relates to marble games, and particularly to marble gamescomprising a target at which marbles may be shot or otherwise propelled.

An object of the invention is to provide a target for marbles or thelike comprising a plate formed at its lower edge with a row of spacedopenings through which a marble may pass, said openings varying in widthto vary the facility with which a marble may pass through the differentopenings.

Another object is to provide a frame for mounting the marble target, theparts of which may be readily disassembled from each other and from thetarget. 1

A'further object is to position a holder for a so-called king marble atthe rear of the described target, and to provide said holder with a triparm serving to release the king marble when struck by a shot marble.

A further object is to adapt the king marble holder to be easilydetachably secured to the frame of the device in rearward alignment withany of the target openings.

These and various other objects the invention attains by theconstruction hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the target with its frame and the kingmarble holder.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryperspective view showing how the target plate andthe parts of the frame are fitted together.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the king marble holder and the frame barcarrying the same.

In these views, the reference character I designates a horizontallyelongated target plate which may be formed of fibre board, and isadapted to be vertically mounted upon or adjacent to a floor, and isformed with a row of openings 2, 3, 4, 5,

and 6, upwardly arched from its lower edge and the front of the plate,the score numbers corresponding to the respective openings 2, 3, 4, 5,and 6, being respectively Ill, 8, 6, 4, and 2. Thus it is seen that thesmallest opening provides for the largest score, .and that the scoredecreases as the width of the opening increases.

The plate I is notched at its ends and in proximity to its lower edge asindicated at 8, to en gage the forward portions of a pair of frame bars9, which form the sides of the target frame, said bars being downwardlynotched as indicated at ill, to accommodate the target plate. The sidebars are held properly spaced by a rear frame bar ll, the end portionsof which are upwardly notched as indicated at E2 to engage in downwardnotches [3 formed in the rear end portions of the side bars. Thus it isseen that the target plate and the parts of the frame may be quickly andeasily assembled in operative relation or disassembled, and are adaptedto be quite compactly arranged for boxing for shipment. It is to benoted that the side bars project sufiiciently forward beyond the targetplate to prevent lateral deflection of marbles encountering the frontface of such plate.

Some distance rearwardly of the target plate and preferably upon therear bar 5 l of the frame, it is preferred to mount a king marble holderformed preferably of sheet metal stampings. Thus, a sheet metal plate asadapted to seat against the front face of the bar Ii carries an integralhook l5 for snugly straddling said bar, and is further integrally formedwith a pair of spaced parallel forwardly projecting arms it to mount theking marble receiver ii. The latter consists of a U-shaped sheet metalmember mounted between said arms and formed with a pair of tongues 18insertable in opposed openings in the front of said arms to 'pivotallymount the receiver. The rear portion of the receiver is rearwardlyhooked as indicated at it, to normally loosely engage the hook IE tothereby limit'the downward rocking of the receiver. A trip arm 20projects integrally downward from the front portion of the receiver at aforward inclination, terminating adjacent to the floor or other surfacesupporting the frame.

In use of the described game, the players shoot or roll marbles at thetarget from some definite position suitably forwardly spaced from thetarget, the endeavor being to shoot the marble through a selected one ofthe openings 2, 3, t, 5 and 6. Delivery of a marble through any of saidopenings accrues for the player a score equal to the number markedadjacent to such opening. If a marble so delivered further encountersthe trip arm 20 and thereby dislodges the king marble (see 'dash lineshowing of Fig. 3), the score accruing from the shot is doubled. If theking marble rolls forwardly and passes through one of the openings 2, 3,4, 5, 6, the shot scores double the score number of the opening throughwhich his marble was delivered, and additionally the score number of theopening through which the king marble escaped. If the king marbleescapes forwardly through the same opening by which a played marblepasses through the target plate, the resulting score is three times thescore number of such opening. The first player whose accumulated scorereaches some arbitrary total as for example, three hundred, may beconsidered the winner.

The king marble is preferably rearwardly aligned with the opening 2 ofthe target plate, but said holder may be slid along the frame bar it toalign it with any desired opening of the target plate.

It is to be noted that the frame 9, H, forms with the target plate anenclosure which may easily accommodate a considerable number of marbles.Thus, if preferred, each player may shoot a suitable predeterminednumber of marbles before yielding place to another, such marbles asenter said enclosure accumulating therein.

It is further to be noted that the trip arm in dislodging the kingmarble from its holder, imposes on such marble a forward impetus such aswill ordinarily cause it to either encounter the target plate or passthrough one of the openings of such plate.

The described game is simple and inexpensive and will serve to amuseadults as well as children.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications andchanges as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a marble target, a support engageable with a surface on whichmarbles may be propelled, a member carried by said support and formedwith a pair of substantially parallel spaced arms, a receiver for amarble pivoted between and transversely of said arms, and a trip arm fordislcdging said marble and projecting downwardly from said receiver andinto a proximity to said surface, adapting such arm for actuation by amarble propelled on said surface.

2. In a marble target, a sheet metal stamping engageable with a supportand formed with a pair of spaced substantially parallel arms forwardlyprojecting from said support, an approximately U-shaped receiver for amarble pivoted upon and between the front portions of said arms, andhaving a rear portion resting normally on said support, and a trip armdownwardly projecting from the forward portion of said receiver foractuation by another marble, and adapted, on actuation, to release themarble from the receiver.

3. In a marble target, a support engageable with a surface on whichmarbles may be propelled, a pair of spaced arms similarly projectingfrom said support, a marble receiver pivoted upon the support betweensaid arms and coacting therewith to normally retain a marble, a trip armdownwardly projecting from the receiver for actuation by another marble,and adapted to release the supported marble upon such actuation.

4. A marble game comprising a target plate formed with a row of marblepassages upwardly opening from its lower edge, a frame comprising a pairof side bars rearwardly extending from the ends of the target plate andholding said plate substantially upright and a cross bar connecting theside bars and forming therewith and with the target plate. amarble-receiving enclosure, and a device adjustably mounted upon saidcross bar for registration with any of the target plate passages, saiddevice comprising a marble support, and means operatively associatedwith such support for tripping a marble therefrom under impact ofanother marble delivered through one of said passages.

5. A marble target comprising a marble receiver pivoted for upwardactuation to dislodge a marble therefrom, an arm downwardly projectingfrom such receiver for effecting marble-releasing actuation of thereceiver, and a member pivotally mounting the receiver and comprisingportions laterally adjacent to the receiver to assist in normallyretaining a marble thereupon.

6. In a marble game, a target plate having a row of marble passagesupwardly opening from its lower edge, a frame attached to the targetplate and forming a marble-receiving enclosure rearwardly of such plate,a marble support carried by said frame in a rearwardly spaced relationto the target plate, and means operatively associated with such supportfor dislodging a marble therefrom under impact of another marbledelivered through one of said passages, and for impelling the dislodgedmarble forwardly toward the target plate, whereby the score may bevaried accordingly as a marble is passed either rearwardly or forwardlythrough the passages.

'7. In a marble target, the combination with a member comprising a backand a pair of spaced arms forwardly projecting from said back, of amember pivoted upon and between said arms, forming a seat for a marbleand formed rearwardly of such seat with a stop engageable with said backto establish a normal position of said seat, and formed forwardly ofsaid seat with a downwardly projecting trip arm for tilting said seatupwardly to dislodge a seated marble.

8. A marble game comprising a target plate formed with a row of marblepassages, a frame comprising a pair of side bars rearwardly extendingfrom the ends of the target plate and holding said plate substantiallyupright and a cross bar connecting the side bars and forming therewithand with the target plate a marblereceiving enclosure, and a deviceadjustably mounted upon said cross bar for substantial registration withany of the target plate passages, said device comprising a marblesupport, and means operatively associated with such support for trippinga marble therefrom under impact of another marble delivered through oneof said passages.

FREDERICK H. KING.

